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Tuesday, 30 July 2013

NEW RULE

If you take a picture while driving, never post it. Or never admit that you took it. Or ascribe it to someone else. Peter Falk voice: "This was taken by Mrs. Columbo, who was with me at the time. She's quite a shutterbug, she is. Oh yeah, she loves the cameras and the photography, the whole thing."

(Sorry, ancient television reference to Lt. Columbo's invented wife. I don't know about where you are, but the airwaves here are flooded with TV shows from thirty years ago, and it's freaking me out just a wee tiny bit...there are suddenly lots of shows on that I remember, but didn't remember that I remembered. Kinda like your life flashing in front of your eyes. The totally wasted part of it. But I digress.)

On the other hand, the above picture is a perfect example of "cool with warm accent." That was an assignment Paul Kennedy gave us in photo school...that I failed. Just wasn't able to come up with one at the time. And ever since, whenever I take one, I think of that assignment and think, "This would have worked." I should send this to Paul. I actually kinda like the picture.

For some reason, the opposite—warm with a cool accent—doesn't work nearly as well. Maybe Ogg evolved predisposed to see campfires glowing in the dangerous murky dusk.

Mike

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)Featured Comments from:

Matthias Jennerholm, Stockholm: "Is this your first surrealistic post Mike? I only understood the Columbo part and that shooting while driving is illegal. Or something like that. Anyway I enjoyed my confusion."

That's right Mike. Post the picture and someone accuses you of running down a kid on a crosswalk (everyone knows that Interstate highways DO have crosswalks every now and then).
Really, the failure to understand the difference between doing this safely and not is a symptom of our times.

When it comes to successful from the car shots, I think Sam Abell should be mentioned. In his book, The Life of a Photograph, he has a whole chapter called "Road Trip" which highlights his amazing ability to compose micro compositions within each image. Many are obviously shot while the car is moving.

"Question: How many surrealists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Answer: Fish."
Love it
So how many Psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? One, but the light bulb really has to want to change.
Couldn't resist

I like. It's also a great example of golden ratios, balance, strong diagonals, leading the eye (have I ruined it yet?); not to mention the photographer's sympathy for middle and lower tones. Oh (just one more thing) there are also at least three different sources of softness here, and in this case I would argue that they all contribute positively. I only wish that the warm accent was answered or echoed somehow, but that's a niggle.

Mrs Columbo could to jail for taking photo's with her husband driving in the great over-regulated land down under. This photo was obviously taken by a professional photographer under controlled conditions.